In This Issue
Advent is the season when we wait in the darkness for the true light of Jesus to come into the world. And what darkness it is. It is hard not to feel powerless as Gazans desperately search to find even the most basic necessities for life—food, fresh water, shelter, and safety. In this update, we share some simple, yet meaningful ways for you to make a difference in the lives of Palestinians that have touched our lives here at MennoPIN.
Offering Whatever Support We Can: Our Congregation’s Twinning Relationship with the Gaza YMCA
December 2024
Despite the destruction of the Gaza YMCA building and the dispersion of contact persons, our congregation’s “twinning” relationship continues with our Gazan partners. A group of 6-10 of us meet via Zoom every other week to hear of the current status of the conflict, the condition of our friends and families, and to offer whatever support we can.
Fellowship of Hope’s contacts with Gazans began in October 2020 as a part of the Mennonite Twinning Initiative and continued regularly until Hamas invaded Israel on October 7, 2023. It took over a month before we could reconnect. The deaths and injuries to thousands and destruction of Gaza has deeply scarred those who survive. We continue difficult conversations of lament while offering our support, however meager it seems.
The current status of the friends with whom we are closest:
- One, along with two family members, is in the United States with a relative and has recently received a work permit as he seeks citizenship. An administrator professionally, he is seeking any kind of employment, describing it as “starting over.” One of our U.S. participants encouraged him to search for translating jobs which may be available in schools and hospitals.
- A second friend is in Egypt with his family of 6 seeking emigration to another country. He has found few open doors as Palestinians are stereotyped as violent radicals in some countries, although he and his spouse were credible professionals as Palestine. Egypt and other Arab countries of the Middle East are not welcoming refugees from Gaza. His children are attending some classes set up by other Gaza refugees who are teachers.
- Our third friend remains with his family in one of the two churches still standing in Gaza City. We are unable to be in regular contact due to power and internet outages. They are in desperate need of food, medical and other supplies along with the other 600 people sheltering there. Fellowship of Hope has been successful in soliciting and wiring money that our friend distributes to people in the two churches and aims to continue to do so.
Those wishing to contribute to this effort can send checks to Fellowship of Hope, 1614 S. Sixth St, Elkhart IN 46526 or use Givelify to donate online. For both, be sure to designate Gaza on the memo line.
These Palestinians, all of whom have lost family and many friends, long to live in their home country, re-open the YMCA and care for the families there, and most of all to find peace. We continue to learn from them and other people who travel to the States sharing insights into this long tragedy. We send demands that our government stop sending weapons to Israel’s army and for an immediate ceasefire. We also help sponsor local community meetings in which knowledgeable people from Palestine, Israel and other places communicate with our local population.
To this we can testify: our friends are good people, God’s people, who deserve the right to live where their ancestors have been for centuries, without oppression. They only want what all of us, including the people of Israel, desire.
Fellowship of Hope Church in Elkhart, IN
Help my Family Survive this Winter in Gaza
A Letter of Appeal from Tareq Abuhalima*
Dear Friends,
I am writing to you with a heavy heart and deep concern about my family’s situation in Gaza as they struggle to survive. UN reports suggest 80% of Gaza has been completely destroyed. Many people, including my family, live in tents and are experiencing extremely harsh, unbearable conditions, including freezing temperatures at night.
I never imagined the war would last through the winter! In these past 420 days, the people of Gaza have encountered hardships beyond comprehension. In a recent conversation with my niece, Rahaf, she confided that she is often “shivering from the cold.” What could I possibly say to comfort her?
As winter sets in, recent heavy rains have exacerbated the dire living conditions. For people displaced on the beach, like my family, high tides, heavy winds, and rainfall caused their tents to collapse. Two of my brothers had to completely rebuild their tents.
There are severe shortages of flour and limited humanitarian aid. People wait for hours in line for a loaf of bread and often leave empty-handed. Food prices soar causing people to go to sleep hungry, hoping for relief the next day. Most people rely almost completely on canned food and lack fresh fruit and vegetables which contributes to health issues.
My sister-in-law, Ameera, recently gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Malak, named after her sister who was killed along with her children and husband November 2023. Malak in Arabic means “Angel.” I pray that Malak will be able to see a better future of peace and prosperity. That is her angelic face in the photo above.
I am trying once again to raise funds for my family to buy food, tents, and blankets to survive the winter. This includes my mother, my siblings, their spouses, and my nieces and nephews. I am raising funds to help them through the winter, the next 3 months. I have a $9,000 goal.
Contributions of any size are greatly appreciated along with your prayers. Details can be found below.
In gratitude and peace,
Tareq Abuhalima
*Tareq Abuhalima, former project manager at Youth Vision Society in Gaza, is currently a graduate student at Bluffton University in Ohio. Since December 2019, MennoPIN has been in relationship with Tareq Abuhalima as part of our Twinning Initiative to advocate for the people of Gaza.
Contributions for Tareq’s family may be made in the following ways:
- Checks can be written and mailed to MennoPIN in care of Treasurer, Jim Norton, at 1410 Pembroke Circle, #4, Goshen, IN 46526. Please include Tareq Abuhalima in the memo line.
- Online contributions can be made through Zelle at tareq.h.halima@gmail.com
- Scan the PayPal QR Code below and click the link for the PayPal QR.
Christians for a Free Palestine, an ecumenical, grassroots, nonviolent, and volunteer-led movement, is offering a variety of free resources designed to help you support Palestine throughout this holiday season. MennoPIN encourages you to check them out!
Mennonite Palestine Israel Network
MennoPIN keeps you informed about Palestine through our monthly update, special alerts, calls to action, important resources and tour possibilities, all from an Anabaptist perspective. To find out more, please visit our website.
info@mennopin.org | mennopin.org | facebook.com/mennopin | x.com/mennopin
Steering Committee
Bob Atchison (Manhattan Mennonite Church, Manhattan, KS)
Lydia Brenneman (Lima Mennonite Church, Lima, OH)
Dave Janzen (Fellowship of Hope, Elkhart, IN)
Michael George (Landisville Mennonite Church, PA)
Jonathan Kuttab (Palestinian lawyer and human rights activist, Manheim, PA)
Dorothy Jean Weaver (Community Mennonite Church, Harrisonburg, VA)
Zachary Murray (Mennonite Central Committee, Washington, DC)
Adam Ramer (Co-coordinator of Mennonite Action, New York, NY)
David Bluford (Rainbow Mennonite Church, Kansas City, KS)
Gretchen Merlot (Communications Volunteer, Philadelphia, PA)
MennoPIN 